#steven universe analysis

[phoenixremix69]

For the last time, Rose Quartz' biggest flaw isn't that she only cared about herself, it's that she hated herself more than anyone

She could look at someone genetically predisposed to be a slave, an abomination to her entire culture, and an overbaked runt of a gem and see the value and beauty in each and every one of them, but when she looks at herself she just sees an unloving monster who can never change or grow. She left Spinel behind because she thought that without her there, Spinel would grow to be more than just a toy. She silenced Pearl because she hoped that she could erase even the memory that Pink Diamond ever existed. She turned into Steven because even as Rose Quartz, the rebel leader with 6,000 years of good karma under her belt, she still believed that it was just a facade, that underneath she could never grow or change into something good, and to do that she would have to wipe the slate completely clean. It's right there in her most important song "I could even learn how to love like you," she's saying that even though anyone looking at her knows she loves Greg and Pearl and all the other gems, she knows deep in her core that she doesn't, that it's a lie, because she is a diamond and diamonds are cold unloving monsters

[artbyblastweave]

I'm not the first to mention this, but one bit that I thought was really clever in Steven Universe is the ways in which the show subtly justifies the cartoonism of the principle cast always wearing the same outfit for ease-of-animation purposes. The gems are a gimme in that they're all hardlight-projections, and even before that's solidified as a plot point they're otherworldly and superheroic enough that you don't really think to question it. But Steven canonically just owns hundreds and hundreds of those star shirts, which are leftover merchandise from his father's fizzled-out career as a rock star. Into which you can read a whole bunch of other stuff if you really want to, right? And I do want to. It's reflective of Greg's misplaced optimism that he got hundreds of those made in the first place, and it's a benign but visible example of how Steven's life is shaped by the knock-on effects of decisions his parents made before he was even alive. He's got his mother's superpowers and he's wearing his father's shirts.

[anthurak]

I’ve been thinking recently about how a key aspect of Steven Universe is that Steven is placed in the narrative position of what might normally be filled by a standard fantasy-hero-shounen-protagonist-guy, while EVERYTHING about Steven as a character is all about going in basically the exact OPPOSITE direction of that archetype. To the point where the one time he actually TRIES acting like some typical shounen-protag to solve his problems in Future, it’s presented as this gross, twisted perversion of his character that goes horribly, HORRIBLY wrong. Basically, the show makes it clear that Steven trying to act like your standard ‘cool, badass anime hero guy’ is very much a BAD and WRONG thing. Like in anime terms, Steven is essentially a Magical Girl placed in a position that was meant for a Shounen Hero. Or in a more specific reference building off of the show’s numerous references to Dragon Ball Z, Steven essentially represents a take on Gohan who’s kindness and pacifism are ultimately allowed to be presented and emphasized as a strength rather than a weakness.

Yet the flipside of all this is that even in their few appearances, has anyone else noticed that Stevonnie shows quite a few of these ‘cool, badass anime hero guy’ traits? They have a cool sword, they race cars, they fight space battles in a starfighter, they get badass fight scenes like getting to 1v1 Jasper and get to say cool one-liners. And the funny thing is, NONE of these are ever presented as somehow ‘wrong’ for the character. Heck, going off of the same references to Dragon Ball Z, Stevonnie has a bunch of design similarities to Future Trunks of all characters, one of THE iconic ‘cool, badass anime hero guys’.

And I think that’s really interesting.

Like in-universe, it says some interesting things about how Fusion works. That Steven himself trying to act like a cool, badass anime hero guy is a BAD thing because it leads him to start rejecting many of the core aspects of who he is as a person, namely his kindness and empathy.

Whereas Stevonnie is their OWN person, distinct from Steven and can exhibit these traits just fine because they clearly got them from Connie. They clearly haven’t abandoned or rejected any of the core aspects of Steven such as his kindness and empathy, they just ALSO have all this other stuff from Connie as well and can exhibit these traits without actually losing anything. They are after all, everything from Steven and Connie and more.

And narratively, I think it makes for a fun inversion. Steven represents this big subversive take on the typical fantasy hero archetype by being this young BOY with a big, heroic destiny who is defined by his kindness, empathy, emotions, a general disdain for solving problems through fighting and generally rejecting the typical ‘cool, badass, anime hero guy’ traits.

So it’s actually rather fitting that it is the non-binary, intersex, very-much-NOT-cisgender-male, fusion Stevonnie who ends up getting to do more traditional ‘cool, badass, anime hero guy’ stuff. Who in turn got much of those traits NOT from Steven, but from his best-friend/partner/girlfriend Connie.

And I just think that’s pretty cool, you know? Particularly when imagining a permafused Stevonnie. Like I think its fun to imagine an alternate take on the later seasons of the show, or just post-series, with a permafused Stevonnie doing more traditional anime-protagonist stuff that would otherwise feel out of place with Steven, but doesn’t feel out of place with them.

For example, Steven never went through any kind of big ‘training arc’ like so many anime heroes because that just doesn’t fit who he is. Steven is not a ‘fighter’, he always tries to talk things out before things turn to combat. So it makes sense that he wouldn’t directly pursue training to become a better fighter on his own.

But Connie DID. And of course that wasn’t presented in and of itself a bad thing. Which as an aside, is interesting for Steven as his joining was more to support Connie rather being presented as something he needed to do himself.

And speaking of fighting, this is another place where the differences between Steven and Connie make Stevonnie in turn all the more INTERESTING. Because whereas Steven isn’t a fighter, Connie very much IS. The symbolic sword to Steven’s shield.

Now where this gets interesting is that in practice, Connie generally follows Steven’s lead. We see a number of instances wherein Connie likely wants to or even is full-on about to launch into a fight, but backs down because Steven wants to talk things out. Connie may be a fighter, but she also generally defers to Steven.

But what happens when these two aspects are coexisting in the same person? What happens when Connie’s preference towards fighting isn’t deferring to Steven’s preference towards non-violence, but is rather exhibited right alongside it? And because of that is seen by Stevonnie as a much more valid option?

What does Stevonnie’s response to conflict look like when they’re much more of a fighter like Connie, while still retaining Steven’s intrinsic kindness and empathy?

Personally, I imagine Stevonnie actually being a fair bit like Ruby Rose, ie; someone who often tries to talk things out, while also not hesitating to jump into a fight if people aren’t willing to negotiate. Perhaps even reading the situation/people enough to get a preemptive strike off.

And all that is just one aspect of what I think makes Stevonnie so compelling as a character.

[pearlsdefenseattorny]

i feel like some su fans don't realize Pearl isn't keeping a promise when she covers her mouth, she literally cannot speak of it because Rose made it a command, not a suggestion/request.

picture from end of an era

we know from an interview (cant find it) that Pearl's compulsion to obey the command is unique to Pearl - that no, Garnet wasn't forced by Rose to never ask questions. Pearl is uniquely programmed to obey a direct command like that because she was designed for Pink. this is a horrifying little bit of worldbuilding lol, thanks crewniverse - but it definitely makes Rose's act go from manipulative to outright egregious

what Rose does here to Pearl (by gagging her), is what the diamonds do to all gems. it's a highly institutionalized violation of agency that robs every gem, especially those of lower caste, of freedom, individuality, and autonomy. quantifiably, the gag order doesn't rob Pearl of much (there's only one thing she can't do after all), but for Rose to silence Pearl at all, to take away her voice, has enormous implications thematically and for Rose's character. Rose knows Pearl isn't able to resist the command, she gives it with the intention of taking advantage of her innate programming (designed by, and representative of, a system they both hate!) to forcibly prevent disobedience. this is WHILE she's trying to establish equality between them! if i were Pearl, i know id struggle with understanding where i stand. the signals are mixed as hell.

and we know Pearl wasn't sure she was equal, even after Rose's death. one example being - "who am i now in this world without her? petty and dull with the nerve to doubt her." i think occasionally members of the fandom fail to recognize or overlook that especially in her worst moments, Pearl STILL felt less than Rose, not only hierarchically but just fundamentally worth *less.* it's a struggle she eventually overcomes, yet during the run of the show, she's still fighting that battle. we also know from ep 2 of future (wherein steven tries to give all the gems non-homeworld-purpose related tasks), we know gems tend toward their original designed purpose.

but this isn't a Rose hate post and i wouldn't be caught dead writing one.

so what was happening when she gave the gag order? we know from the episode "bismuth," rose told bismuth she could be anything she wanted to be, that gems could choose for themselves. rose fought a whole war to free any gem who wanted to be free and to protect humanity. she told garnet (practically) to make her own identity and create her own purpose. how is this the same person who abused her power over pearl to make her keep a secret?

in end of an era, rebecca says: "[rose] makes sense once you know she is her own worst enemy. she dreams, achingly, that she could become compassionate, because she's sure she is incapable of compassion. her lack of respect for herself makes it impossible for her to respect everyone closest to her."

and that therein is the tragic heart of the problem. Rose hates herself. she wants to change, she wants to be good, but even when she IS good - she can't see it for what it is, past her own shame and self-disgust. it makes it "impossible to respect everyone closest to her" - including, and most damagingly (becuz of her purpose on homeworld and accompanying trauma), to Pearl. Blue and Yellow planted the seeds of self-hate, and developing her own value system on earth and learning to despise the diamonds' for the system they upheld reinforced that she, by just being a diamond at all, MUST be bad. she longed to be good but could conceive of no pathway to do so, except hiding her "villainy" permanently behind a "hero" mask and running away.

Rose couldn't even tolerate the slightest chance Pearl might say something, that's how deep the fear and shame ran, that she felt the need to do an absolutely horrible thing to a gem she very dearly loved in order to make sure her worst fear could never come true. people who need control need it to feel safe. it's kinda like that. the irony is that in trying desperately to hide that she's a diamond, she makes the fatal mistake of doing what a diamond does - controlling those beneath them in the hierarchy and reducing them down to their designed purpose. she tried hard not to be pearl's owner and not to treat pearl like her slave, but in this moment of finally escaping those roles, she embodies them briefly - with lasting consequences. it's an ego-dystonic betrayal of her own values impelled by self-hate and fear. it's heartbreaking for both of them.

Pearlrose's issues were varied but miscommunication was a big one. now they can't ever talk about it. what a difference it would have made if Rose hadn't done what she did. i wonder how often she wished she didn't (thought to herself, "pearl doesn't deserve that, how could i do that?"), then felt that fear creep back up, and maybe even wondered whether pearl's love was even genuine, or if it was totally hollow. in greg the babysitter she says, "When a gem is made, it's for a reason, they burst out of the ground already knowing what they're supposed to be, and then.. that's what they are. Forever." She says it almost sadly. like she's not sure she's anything but what she's always been, maybe even unsure pearl's anything but what she's always been. how can you trust someone to keep the deepest, most shameful secret of your life, if you're not even sure this person loves you sincerely?

we know Rose is tragically wrong here. she could grow and change. the gems are entirely capable of growth. every central character grows over the show- including Rose, we just watch it backwards! but she can't see herself for who she is and it's what doomed her.

isn't that the essential symptom of shame? Rose's self-loathing hurt not only herself, but Pearl (and Bismuth, Sapphire and Ruby, etc.) and she spent thousands of years healing from it. by hiding and hurting ourselves, we hurt others inevitably.

[lbyrnthhours]

How would Blue Diamond react to a more traumatised and more mature version of Pink Diamond (purple diamond)

thanks for asking, i deeply love Blue and analyzing her!

as both an abuser and protecter/shielder of Pink, i’d say she’d be a mix of jarred, deeply saddened and relieved.

i’d say the most important thing to keep in mind when thinking about this is Blue’s trope as a mother figure in canon— one that witnesses her child not fit in to the system, and while Blue thinks of herself as trying to save Pink by teaching her the “right way”, Blue doesn’t grasp that she’s being harmful. we know this!

so i think on some level Blue would be both saddened and indifferent to a more mature version of Pink. personally i’m imagining a version of Pink that finally lived up to everything she was supposed to, and if in that scenario Pink had been acting canonically— childish— before, Blue might feel as though she’d lost something.

saddened, because she really doesn’t want that precious thing in Pink to die, especially because the way Pink rebels and expresses herself seems to be something Blue herself has felt, and feels pressured not to explore! (“I know my purpose isn’t to be happy, but I find it harder and harder to enforce your rules when they make me miserable.”)

oddly relieved, because now the protection from consequences that Blue offered Pink before is no longer needed, in this scenario— Pink “gets it”. and at the same time, Pink finally “getting it” means the last piece of the puzzle finally got put together, and there’s nothing left to do (no exceptional situation to offer Blue a new perspective) but carry on being miserable.

the grief would be immense!

[miabellewhodraws]

 Sapphire analysis (SU)

Introduction:

 In the episode “The Answer” Garnet describes Sapphire as a “rare aristocratic gem”. She was in a team of the diplomatic gems that were sent to planet Earth to investigate. 

Sapphire has a special power: to see into the future. That was what made her valuable for Blue Diamond. Blue Diamond wanted to know what would happen next, what will happen on planet Earth? It’s clear that Sapphires were trusted by Homeworld to predict the future, and never considered the possibility of them being wrong.

Sapphire’s view on her powers

 Sapphire herself put a lot of trust into her abilities, and was shocked when things didn’t go the way she saw. Let’s see:

 Sapphire predicted that the rebels will attack the Cloud Arena, destroying the physical forms of seven gems, including herself. Then they would be cornered, and captured. The rebellion would end. Despite knowing this, it didn’t worry her at all. That she would be a casualty. She already accepted what she thought was her fate. But Ruby did not accept that. She saved Sapphire and then they accidentally fused for the first time, and that turn of events shocked Sapphire. After all, one of the questions Garnet asked Rose and Pearl was: “How was Ruby able to alter fate?”. That’s clearly something Sapphire would wonder about, how is it possible? Her abilities always worked, but not this time. 

Sapphire trusted Rose. After all, she and Pearl were the first to accept Garnet, despite Garnet being a fusion of two different gems, which was considered “disgusting” in Homeworld. She never looked into Rose, because she and Ruby trusted her. When the truth was revealed, Sapphire was very upset. She blamed herself for “letting Rose make fools of them all”. Thought that her and Ruby’s romantic relationship was based on a lie. She was for “predicting the future”. That was what Homeworld expected from Sapphires, what Blue Diamond expected from Sapphire. But she didn’t know that someone she admired was actually someone she despised. Sapphire thought that she didn't know anything. She must have felt useless.

So, Sapphire’s predictions turning out wrong had both positive and negative consequences for her. Positive consequences: she was saved from being poofed and realized that she was in love with Ruby. They got to experience fusion, explore planet Earth together, and fight for the freedom to be together.

Negative consequences: when she found out that the person she admired was a Diamond,  Sapphire felt useless because she never looked into Rose.

How Sapphire deals with her feelings

Sapphire deals with her feelings very differently than her girlfriend Ruby. We see in the episode “Keystone Motel”, that Sapphire is more open to forgiving Pearl, unlike Ruby. She thinks that Ruby is choosing to take the situation personally. When Ruby asks if it’s just her being angry, Sapphire says that “She is completely engulfed with rage” with the most expressionless face. When Ruby says that she’s not above this as she thinks she is, Ruby is right. Despite the fact that Sapphire doesn’t openly show her anger, it doesn't mean that she isn’t upset over the situation. Sapphire just doesn’t show her emotions openly. The proof is that her cryokinesis ability only starts working when she is feeling negative emotions, and the times we see it work is when she’s upset over Pearl tricking Garnet into fusing and when she’s upset over learning that Rose was Pink Diamond all along. I also think that when she’s feeling intense negative emotions, Sapphire wants to spend some time alone, since after learning that Rose was Pink Diamond, she teleported to Rose’s Fountain, perhaps to calm down? So, in conclusion, Sapphire is more calm and forgiving than Ruby,  but that doesn't mean she can’t lose control of her emotions sometimes. Sapphire is upset when her abilities to predict the future don’t work, because she feels useless when she’s not able to help other people. She usually doesn’t show her emotions openly, but you can see that she’s upset when her cryokinesis ability starts working.

Sapphire’s relationships with other people

Ruby: Ruby was a soldier who was assigned to protect Sapphire during a mission on Earth. When she rushed in to save Sapphire from being poofed, they accidentally fused for the first time. Blue Diamond was furious with Ruby for daring to fuse with a member of her court, and said that she will be shattered for this. But Sapphire saved Ruby and ran away with her. They spend some time together and then decide to fuse again. When they met Rose and Pearl, Garnet thought that she would upset them, but they accepted her. Sapphire and Ruby stayed fused and fought the war so they could be free to love each other. So they could stay Garnet. We can see that Ruby and Sapphire have very different personalities, very different ways of dealing with their feelings. But each time they have a disagreement, they reconcile.They worry about each other’s safety, in “Jailbreak” episode, when Sapphire and Ruby reunite, they ask each other “Did they hurt you?”, which shows the first thing they are concerned about when reuniting is each other’s well-being. According to Ruby, Sapphire helped her realize that it’s okay to be herself. According to Sapphire, Ruby helped her realize that there are many alternative possibilities. 

Pearl: They first met over 5,750 years ago, when Pearl, who was part of a small group of rebels called “Crystal Gems”, attempted to poof Sapphire with her spear. After Ruby and Sapphire accidentally fused and became part of Crystal Gems, she and Garnet became close. In “Keystone Motel”, Sapphire is more willing to forgive Pearl because she thinks it would be the right thing to do, but despite that she is still angry at Pearl, even if she doesn’t show it openly. When Sapphire is upset over Ruby leaving, Pearl comforts her and cries with her. So, despite them not being very close, they still have a great relationship.

Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond: Sapphire respected Rose and never questioned her choices, so finding out that she was Pink Diamond all along left her feeling betrayed and used. Because of her bad views on Diamonds, Sapphire believed that Rose only used them as pawns and was reluctant to believe that Rose changed her mind about the Earth. But when Pearl explained everything to her, she understood that Rose herself was inspired by Crystal Gems, that her fusion with Ruby inspired Rose to fight for gems to live free on planet Earth. 

Steven: Sapphire cares greatly about Steven, and becomes very emotional when she realizes that her and Ruby made him feel like it was his fault that they had an argument in “Keystone Motel”. Sapphire gives Steven advice when he needs it, for example she gave him advice on proposing to Connie. When Steven becomes a monster, Sapphire has a breakdown because she worries that he might stay a monster forever. 

Blue Diamond: Sapphire used to be a part of Blue Diamond’s court. She was valued because of her high rank and ability to see the future. After Sapphire and Ruby accidentally fused for the first time, Blue Diamond wanted to shatter Ruby for daring to fuse with a member of her court. Sapphire saved Ruby from being shattered and became a part of Crystal Gems. In episode “That will be all”, Sapphire and Blue Diamond meet again, however Blue doesn’t recognize her. Sapphire could have been afraid of being recognized by her former boss, since when Blue says that she never asked any Sapphire to go to Earth, Sapphire freezed up, clearly stressed. 

[lone-gem-half]

Common interpretations and misinterpretations of Pink Steven

Hello. I am Lynn, a fictive of Pink Steven. As this is my identity, I have come to feel quite strongly about the fandom's various interpretations of him. I am here to discuss why I believe some of them to be untrue.

Seeing as Steven Universe is a work of fiction (as real as it may be to me), kindly refer to the Reddit comment below.

[ID: A Reddit comment saying "no you are fucking alive do what you want". /End ID]

I do not wish to offend nor police anyone's enjoyment—in fact, I have enjoyed works containing many of these "misconceptions" myself.

Interpretation #1 – Steven is still himself without his Gem.

I understand why this may be a first assumption. Even the title of the soundtrack, "Steven meets Pink Steven", may lead one towards it. I am unsure if this is what was meant by the creators; the intent of the scene, however, is for Steven to realize that he is and always has been himself, and having Pink Steven be a separate person only bearing his appearance would be contradictory.

Additionally, Steven is half human, half Gem. Part of his conciousness and sense of self reside in the gemstone—it would only make sense, as it is the nature of every Gem. Pink Steven is not a separate entity from Steven. Pink Steven is part of Steven in all senses.

Interpretation #2 – Pink Steven is emotionless.

The "She is gone" scene in itself disproves this.

Steven's powers are led by his emotions. It would be nonsensical for the part of him that bears his powers to be incapable of emotion.

He would not have been able to laugh along with his human half if he were incapable of emotion.

Interpretation #3 – Pink Steven is raw power.

I apologize for the bluntness, as I am struggling to word it otherwise: Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond did not give up her form and self to make room for "raw power". Pink Steven could be intepreted as having raw power. Pink Steven himself should not be reduced to it.

Interpretation #4 – Pink Steven's purpose is to protect his human half.

Once again, I understand where this may come from. Pink Steven's priority is to protect his human half. Pink Steven's desire is to protect his human half. It is not a purpose, however. A purpose is what typical Gems emerge with. Steven—and, by extension, Pink Steven—is not a typical Gem. Otherwise, Rose's sacrifice would have been in vain.

Interpretation #5 – The halves have always existed as separate entities in Steven's head—AKA Steven is a fusion in the typical sense.

This is one I particularly enjoy reading about, despite not believing it to be what is meant in canon. Steven's halves are much like a Gem's shards. They did not exist separately before White Diamond did the deed. They never should have been separate in the first place.

My interpretation—or rather, me.

I am one half of Steven Universe. The human half might seem like Steven at first glance—that is because he is more overt. As a simplified explanation, the human brain deals with daily functioning and the processing of emotions. The Gem "brain" deals with logic, the subconscious, and our powers.

Without the human brain, processing emotion becomes difficult. I struggle with identifying what I am feeling. I do not express it in a typical manner, rather through actions and aura, if not through manifestations of my power itself.

This is tied to the "rawness" of my power. Unfiltered, unprocessed emotion comes out in destructive ways. Without the human half to aid in navigating (Accidental fanfiction reference.), Pink Steven's emotions may destroy him. Both halves need each other to live.

Protecting the human half, in addition to self preservation instincts, is a choice and an act of self love. Emphasis on the latter.

In canon, it is most likely that Steven went back to being his whole self. In my AU, we remained internally separate after reuniting. I enjoy thinking and reading about both possibilities.

Conclusion + fic recommendations

Most of these concepts are fun to explore in their own ways. While I believe myself to be correct (and may selfishly act as if I have authority on it), I am not the boss of anyone's fandom experience. Refer to the Reddit comment mentioned previously.

I would like to highlight some of my favorite works of fanfiction to end this post.

The Heart of a Star by Hastilt – This is my top 1, although all others are in no particular order. I agree with most of, if not the entirety of this author's interpretation of Pink Steven. The work itself is incredible. Mind the content warnings.

Aid to Navigation by Ppleater – It has interesting takes on hybrid biology.

Crack the Paragon by Novantinuum – While not fully accurate to my interpretation, it is excellent and remarkably well written. I am eager to see what will happen in chapter 15.

Threadbare Divinity by Ghostigos – Short and sweet. Vivid in its description of the experience. Contains remarkable wordplay with second person pronouns. A close contender for the first place.

What Went Untold by Andovia212 – Steven describes the experience in White's Head from both halves' perspectives. It is very good to see.

He's Gone by citrusella – A very interesting play on its concept. Mind the content warnings.

This should be all I have for today. Please feel free to comment.

[thethirdbill]

I’m streaming Steven Universe Save The Light on my gaming channel tonight for The Trevor Project!

[fishtastics]

i need more thoughts on the trans perspective of steven universe the guy i do think its interesting steven only corrected people when they got his name wrong and not pronouns specifically. theres such an easy trans metaphor you can find with the diamonds reactions to pink diamond -> steven, but the thing is steven is entirely his own person.

while it could be because he never grew up with the stigma against being gnc, you can see an obvious interest in feminine clothing and interests. theres also so much princess theming with the guy. disney princesses—cinderella, mostly, but u could probably find rapunzel ariel and aurora connections (maybe more). and the fact steven is a boy who doesn’t hold himself to the standard society would hold him to is very obviously done purposefully on rebecca sugars end

i would come to a conclusion like the fact that steven doesn’t correct people on the pronouns end of things would simply be because He lowkey doesn’t care. which would be in line, he very much does what he wants to do (dancing, cross dressing, just loving freely in general) but the standard he kept himself for so long is doing the Dangerous stuff because he viewed it as something he wanted and needed to do so for others. between s2-future i feel like this line was heavily blurred together. what does steven want for himself? well rn hes on a whole road trip to figure himself out so i don’t really feel the need to explore more into that…

there is Also a very easy trans allegory to find in rose quartz’s story, being in a controlling home running away renaming yourself changing your appearance finding yourself to be truly happy in the first time since forever. and thats why she resonates so deeply with humanity, she could’ve never done or thought about this on homeworld, but on earth choosing who you are is so simple and so complex compared to what’s shes used to

steven was created because rose wanted him to be human. and he was for awhile, but because rose does not render herself as important, so much gem stuff came to effect him and will continue to effect steven for as long as hes living. its like how a mother would have a baby forgetting the fact that the baby will grow up and have the world effect who they are, which i don’t think rose followed intentionally. her low self worth is very internalized, and also not something she speaks of like at all

i think steven universe (the guy) is essentially the human condition 10 fold. Steven is Steven, and whoever that is is up for him to decide. thats what he was taught. however we live in #society, and for him, he essentially lived in two. they are very different but one can hold themselves to the same strictness homeworld did entirely by choice. of course the influence society holds in the decision to be who you want to be would be so strong for him.

to try to give a conclusion of my own thoughts, i think the reason im struggling so much to see steven as one particular thing or another is because itd very much go against my reading of the text. i can’t say hes this or that Hes the one who would need to say hes this or that. i cant do it im not steven universe

[rose-tries-to-write]

A rant about SU and gem formation

In Steven Universe, the Homeworld can be biased against gems with oddities. They want all gems to be perfect cookie-cut soldiers to fit into their society.

However, I want to know how this affects Lapis Lazuli gems. See from my research (literally one google search) lapis lazuli can come with patches of yellow (pyrite) and white (calcite). These gems with small patches of white and/or yellow are considered some of the best quality (once again, according to google). But would Homeworld see it as the best quality or Off Color? We know they don't like fusion, and this sounds almost like fusion. Though maybe it could be considered more of a cross-contamination?

Does Homeworld make lapis lazuli without these patches maybe? Perhaps they found a way in the Kindergarten phase of a gem to remove the possibility of them gaining the patches??

I know that in SU Future, Lapis changed her form to incorporate some yellow as if to show that aspect of the natural formation of the gem, but we could chalk that up to her being a Pre-war gem. Maybe they didn't have the tech to make pure lapis lazuli back then? Still, no other Lapis Lazuli has this accent color (not counting any with a Yellow Diamond insignia). I am simply curious about others' thoughts on this.

Under the cut: A Jasper and Amethyst Rant

Another (slightly unrelated) rant about Jasper and Amethyst.

Jasper and Amethyst were made on Earth, and while Peridot proved Amethyst's Kindergarten to be fully planned and thought out, Jasper's was not.

See, I believe that with the rush job on her Kindergarten, Jasper was made Wrong. Similar to the Lapis Lazuli, jasper is a gem made from an assortment of other minerals that give it its striped-patterned look. A striped look that our Jasper shares, but most Homeworld Gems don't have (Even Holly Blue, who is an Agate and therefore should have some form of striping or rings). This makes me believe that striping or patterns of a gem's skin could be seen as an Off Color trait. If it is considered an Off Color trait, the Diamonds may have kept her around due to her strength and loyalty/service??

Additionally, I believe that Jasper wasn't lucky to come out as big as she did. I believe her form and Amethyst's are the results of "Survival of the Fittest" on opposite sides of the spectrum.

With Amethyst, she was at the bottom of her Kindergarten where there possibly weren't very many minerals to soak up for her formation, and any that were available went to those forming above her. This meant that only once the other Gems were formed and no longer soaking everything up could Amethyst get what she needed, but the time spent without the resources had already done its damage.

But with Jasper, she was placed dead center with practically no competition for resources so she could soak up everything for herself (a plausible reasoning for how Skinny formed the way she did, whose hole was right next to hers), making it to where she had an overabundance of all the resources that made quartz soldiers so strong.

[wallflowers-in-the-wind]

Pink Diamond/Rose Quartz

An analysis with a bit of theorizing

For those who watched Steven Universe, Rose Quartz and Pink Diamond seemed to be complete opposites in every way. But when we got the reveal of them being the same person it seemed impossible. Learning this from at first admiring Rose to the slowly deconstruction of this perfect being was also very clever yet the shock still never seemed to fade.

Yet the one thing everyone seems to be focused on is if Rose/Pink were right in their actions. So many innocents were harmed, shattered, bubbled, or killed in a war that seemed needless. But what if it was the only option?

From what we are told throughout the show Pink Diamond is trapped in an abusive situation with the other Diamonds. They see her as a child that needs to be placated for shut up entirely. Casting her off to be other gems problems or creating best friends for Pink so she would leave them alone.

But that wasn’t what she wanted. Pink Diamond didn’t want to be cast aside she wanted to have a purpose for her existence, to do something grand like the others. This anger and frustration caused her to lash out against the gems given to her as a distraction or to serve her. Perhaps this is something the other diamonds have done to her when she goes to far in her demands to be treated equally and she just replicated it against those she could. It is inexcusable and the damage still affects the gems still around that served Pink Diamond like Pink Pearl and Spinel. We probably won’t ever know the full extent of the Diamond’s actions against Pink Diamond and the domino effect agaisnt other gems but from what little we do know it was inexcusably

However, their actions kept Pink Diamond naive. She didn’t realize what the other Diamonds were doing to the other planets until she got one of her own. When she disguised herself as Rose Quartz she got to explore the planet she owned her way with what she thought was her own authority. Seeing the effect the Kindergartens had on the planet and listening to stories from other gems may have been what caused her to change for the better. When the other Diamonds wouldn’t listen and gave her the human zoo to placate her again it must have been the breaking point.

This would lead to the rebellion. Perhaps it was stared to get the others to change their minds at first. If they wouldn’t listen to her then she would force them to listen to someone who fights back. Rose Quartz became a persona where she could act and say what she had been saying for centuries but no one listened. But I don’t think Rose/Pink meant for it to get out of hand to the degree that it did. It started out with just her and Pearl but when they met Garnet and so many other gems who believed in her and trusted her not because she was a Diamond but for what she thought it became much more that just her voicing her thoughts. But by the point she realized how far the other Diamonds would go to stay in the right, it was too late.

Her only option left was to leave as Pink Diamond and allow earth to be destroyed or to stay as Rose Quartz. But she couldn’t live as both without someone becoming suspicious, hence the fake shattering.

But sometimes I wonder if she ever had the intention of righting any of the wrongs she had committed against others. She had proven before she would never reveal her true identity to the other Crystal Gems. However, if she never fell for Greg would the events that take place in the show force her to confront her past or if she would continue to be Rose Quartz until the truth is revealed?

Pink Diamond and Rose Quartz are far from perfect. There are many things they never resolved that was left to Steven. But their reasoning while flawed is understandable to a certain extent.

If the show ever gets the chance I would love for a series to show Pink Diamond’s past and her time as Rose Quartz. While I know this would take away from the way we learned about Rose and her true identity I think it would be fascinating to see how everything happened and Pink Diamond/Rose’s thoughts and feelings so the fandom can understand her better.

[hopestarstudios]

New storytime/speedpaint!!! This time talking about my other huge hyperfixation!!

[coolreader18]

discourse.jpg

[yeetspace]

So I can never gets brought up again, but like lion was absolutely eating a creature with a skeleton right?

So like what the fuck does that mean if it's not a gem but it had gemstones in its body and it had a skeletal structure and was on earth?

Cuz like the only other thing I can think of, is the weird bird squid thing from the jungle Moon, where it had a seemingly polymorphic body, possibly being a side adaptation from existing on a planet with gems for so long, the same way this thing possibly had those gemstones as its spines for that exact same reason. Though the question kind of arises, we have to assume that these things evolve alongside lions so that lion knows to eat them cuz it'd be a bit weird if they were just randomly evolved creatures

Actually hold on wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait we see a handful of crystal creatures that are not gems explicitly or at the very least are not gems in the way that the gems we know societally as gems are. I kind of want to assume it's a situation similar to us and animals where it's an arbitrary distinction made from within the classification itself as one of the animals saying that it's not an animal cuz it's the thing saying that other things are animals

So like we can assume that it's almost like corruption is while also being a breaking of the mind, physically some form of return to a design that never existed, as we know gems come out as they are in a certain way and grow from there we know there's no evolution taking place. Outside of the artificial evolution of the fact that there was less materials when pink diamond stopped being on homeworld creating era 2, gems started coming out weaker with more flaws and with more reasons to need augmentations (ie the rutile twins coming out forked like that, aquamarines needing those bow weapons, and peridots needing the limb enhancers)

And so since they're designed and we know the diamonds were designed and probably came from home world as is implied in the notes of the show from Rebecca sugar themselves, in that they emerged as they are then started making other gems as they were so there's no past proto gem in a evolutionary sense, there's unquestionably some sort of experiment proto gem type species out there if there is a existing crafted very obviously artificial perfected gem in what the diamonds were programmed to believe themselves as, which would entail that the creators of the diamonds were testing and experimenting previously and designated them as that, hence their sense of superiority before realizing they're literally just the same as the other gems they themselves made

[pearlsdefenseattorny]

There's no "calling out" in analysis imho- people just interpret things different and implying some kind of morality is involved (that some interpretations = moral, okay, while others aren't) always feel a little pushy and chronically online to me. However I understand the point being made here and here's my take...

The reason no one is applying the same logic to Rupphire is probably multifaceted and I'm not the end all be all, but the reason *I* don't is because not only is the power imbalance just... somewhat less of a thing according to worldbuilding, it's less emphasized narratively. rubies are apparently made for the gems they protect becuz of how ruby reacts to seeing sapphire ("as my sole duty and purpose, i will protect you with my life!") in the movie, but they are not objectified the way a pearl is and if you havent seen the movie its even less obvious. pearls have default settings and can be customized... they are at the veeeryy bottom of the hierachy and diamonds at the veeeeryy top, making rose and pearls difference in power a little more obvious and intense than ruby and sapphires.

significantly less time is spent on ruby's feelings of inadequacy even though it's briefly examined- we get one or two scenes, im thinking specifically "the answer" and "gem heist," and in both of these examples sapphire is SHOWN onscreen to immediately communicate disapproval and assure ruby she's equal. in someone entirely new:

"well what about you?"

"what about me?"

"well *you're* here too.. we're here, together."

and she places her hand on ruby's. in "gem heist" ruby stammers that shes disposable and sapphire's like "what!?" and in jail break, when ruby says "who cares?" sapphire retorts "i do!". there's more on screen evidence here sapphire and ruby feel equal and sapphire actively solicits belonging, equality, etc. from ruby. sapphire obviously onscreen kinda often tbh communicates love, adoration, respect for ruby etc, just think of their wedding ep! we dont see that from pearlrose. im not saying that it wasnt there but the audience isnt shown it.

we get a LOT of scenes and lyrics about pearl's objectification by homeworld and her feelings of inferiority.

"Everything I ever did, I did for her. Now she's gone, but I'm still here." - pearl

"Because pearls aren't for this! They're for standing around, and looking nice, and holding your stuff for you."- peridot

"But it's true! No matter how hard I try to be strong like you... I'm just a Pearl. I'm useless on my own. I need someone to tell me what to do." - pearl

"Who am I now in this world without her? Petty and dull with the nerve to doubt her." - pearl

"Well, you know Rose.... She always did what she wanted" - pearl

these lines are incomparible to many of ruby's lines and rose isnt there onscreen to dispute her claims of inferiority/helplessness like sapphire is there to dispute ruby. whether she even would or not is probably intentionally left to interpretation, serving to obfuscate rose's supposed good character.

also: sapphire never utilizes her position of power over ruby to force ruby into silence about one of the most traumatizing events of her life. not saying this is smth she even could do, but either way she doesnt do it.

anyway this is why i think the conversation is different. their relationships are presented differently becuz well.. the two relationships *are* different.

You know if people talked about Ruby and Sapphire’s relationship the way they talked about Rose and Pearl’s I’d imagine for at least some it’d highlight how infantilizing it is towards Pearl and how it demonizes Rose for basically no reason.

Like, nobody in the SU fandom would ever think “Ruby only loved Sapphire because she was programmed to be loyal to her.”

If anyone said that they’d be called out and rightfully so. But that’s like a common talking point for a lot of the people who try to undermine Rose and Pearl’s relationship.

Why is ok to say this about them?

[bixels]

Learning that fans hated Applejack and called her "boring" is crazyyy to me because I genuinely, unironically believe AJ's the most complex character in the main six.

Backstory-wise, she was born into a family of famers/blue collar workers who helped found the town she lives in. She grew up a habitual liar until she had the bad habit traumatized outta her. She lost both her parents and was orphaned at a young age, having to step up as her baby sister's mother figure. She's the only person in the main gang who's experienced this level of loss and grief (A Royal Problem reveals that AJ dreams about memories of being held by her parents as a baby). She moved to Manhattan to live with her wealthy family members, only to realize she'll never fit in or be accepted, even amongst her own family. The earlier seasons imply she and her family had money problems too (In The Ticket Master, AJ wants to go to the gala to earn money to buy new farm equipment and afford hip surgery for her grandma).

Personality-wise, she's a total people-pleaser/steamroller (with an occasional savior complex) who places her self worth on her independence and usefulness for other people, causing her to become a complete workaholic. In Applebuck Season, AJ stops taking care of herself because of her obsessive responsibilities for others and becomes completely dysfunctional. In Apple Family Reunion, AJ has a tearful breakdown because in she thinks she dishonored her family and tarnished her reputation as a potential leader –– an expectation and anxiety that's directly tied to her deceased parents, as shown in the episode's ending scene. In The Last Roundup, AJ abandons her family and friends out of shame because believes she failed them by not earning 1st place in a rodeo competition. She completely spirals emotionally when she isn't able to fulfill her duties toward others. Her need to be the best manifests in intense pride and competitiveness when others challenge her. And when her pride's broken, she cowers and physically hides herself.

Moreover, it's strongly implied that AJ has a deep-seated anger. The comics explore her ranting outbursts more. EQG also obviously has AJ yelling at and insulting Rarity in a jealous fit just to hurt her feelings (with a line that I could write a whole dissection on). And I'm certain I read in a post somewhere that in a Gameloft event, AJ's negative traits are listed as anger.

Subtextually, a lot of these flaws and anxieties can be (retroactively) linked to her parents' death, forcing her to grow up too quickly to become the adult/caregiver of the family (especially after her big brother becomes semiverbal). Notice how throughout the series, she's constantly acting as the "mom friend" of the group (despite everything, she manages to be the most emotionally mature of the bunch). Notice how AJ'll switch to a quieter, calmer tone when her friends are panicking and use soothing prompts and questions to talk them through their emotions/problems; something she'd definitely pick up while raising a child. Same with her stoicism and reluctance at crying or releasing emotions (something Pinkie explicitly points out). She also had a childhood relationship with Rara (which, if you were to give a queer reading, could easy be interpreted as her first 'aha' crush), who eventually left her life. (Interestingly enough, AJ also has an angry outburst with Rara for the same exact reasons as with EQG Rarity; jealous, upset that someone else is using and changing her). It's not hard to imagine an AJ with separation anxiety stemming from her mother and childhood friend/crush leaving. I'm also not above reading into AJ's relationship with her little sister (Y'all ever think about how AB never got to know her parents, even though she shares her father's colors and her mother's curly hair?).

AJ's stubbornness is a symptom of growing up too quickly as well. Who else to play with your baby sister when your brother goes nonverbal (not to discount Big Mac's role in raising AB)? Who else to wake up in the middle of the night to care for your crying baby sister when your grandma needs her rest? When you need to be 100% all the time for your family, you tend to become hard-stuck with a sense of moral superiority. You know what's best because you have to be your best because if you're aren't your best, then everything'll inevitably fall apart and it'll be your fault. And if you don't know what's best –– if you've been wrong the whole time –– that means you haven't been your best, which means you've failed the people who rely on you, which means you can't fulfill your role in the family/society, which makes you worthless . We've seen time and time again how this compulsive need to be right for the sake of others becomes self-destructive (Apple Family Reunion, Sound of Silence, all competitions against RD). We've seen in The Last Roundup how, when no longer at her best, AJ would rather remove herself from her community than confront them because she no longer feels of use to them.

But I guess it is kinda weird that AJ has "masculine" traits and isn't interested in men at all. It's totally justified that an aggressively straight, misogynistic male fandom would characterize her as a "boring background character." /s

At the time of writing this, it's 4:46AM.